Image Source: Lorin Granger/Harvard Law School/AP via CNN
To borrow from Seinfeld, it’s real and it’s spectacular.
As reported by CNN, a version of the Magna Carta housed at Harvard Law School is confirmed to be an original.
The discovery came via King’s College London’s David Carpenter, a professor of medieval history.
“I finally came to Harvard Law School manuscript number 172, clicked on that, expecting to see a statute book. And what I saw… was an original of the 1300 Magna Carta,” Carpenter told CNN reporter Billy Stockwell.
The Magna Carta is considered to be the first human rights declaration. It was created by King Edward I in the 1300s by Cardinal Stephen Langston, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to ease tensions between the reigning king and a band of rebel barons.
“He (the King) couldn’t just say, ‘off with your head, into prison, I’m seizing your property.’ If he wanted to act against you, he had to do so by due legal process,” Carpenter noted.
Modern reproductions of the Magna Carta are fairly common, and the document Harvard purchased for merely $27.50 in 1946 from a Sweet & Maxwell auction aligns with the affordability of copies. Carpenter’s research, however, found that the document had many features in line with other original copies, including its dimensions and handwriting style.
Looking to buy your own Magna Carta? Check out our Price Guide for comparable sales.
Jon Waldman is a Winnipeg-based writer. He has written for Beckett, Go GTS, Canadian Sports Collector, and several other hobby outlets over his two decades in the hobby. His experience also includes two books on sports cards and memorabilia. Connect with Jon on Twitter at @jonwaldman.
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